


In The Dark

by Applesandbannas747



Category: Fence (Comics)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-17
Updated: 2020-02-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:47:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22288123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Applesandbannas747/pseuds/Applesandbannas747
Summary: Adjusting to being on a team isn't something Seiji is taking particularly well to. Teammates are tedious and tiresome things, especially when they come up with ridiculous team bonding activities like sleepovers and silly games.
Relationships: Nicholas Cox/Seiji Katayama
Comments: 44
Kudos: 174





	1. Chapter 1

Fencing in a team was vastly different from individual épée. Seiji had known that, obviously. The differences all seemed clear enough and you'd be a fool to think the two would be overly similar. But the thing that struck Seiji as the most unexpected and drastic change between individual and team fencing was the _team._ The social obligations you were trapped into simply by being a part of it. The people you had to get to know rather more than you'd ever wanted to. The activities you were dragged along to basically against your will. It was exhausting.

But this? This was the worst yet.

Seiji stood in front of Aiden Kane’s house, vacated by his parents for the long weekend, with an overnight bag slung over his shoulder. _Why_ he was being forced to spend his break having an extended _sleepover_ with his fencing team, he really didn't know. It wasn't as if they didn't see each other every day already. In fact, Seiji already had to sleep in a room with one of the members. His eyes drifted to that particular teammate, wrestling his bag out of the car. Seiji imagined that sleeping in close proximity with the rest of the team would be just as bad. Nicholas broke into a chain of swears as he finally freed his bag with a little too much force. It had flung up to hit him in the nose. Seiji shook his head, turned away. _Moron._

“You squirts ready for this?” Aiden asked with pure glee as all five members of the team finally gathered at the front door. Aiden unlocked it and they all went streaming in. Seiji took his time. He observed the easy, confident way Harvard maneuvered around the house, like he knew it as well as Aiden did. And how Eugene and Nicholas bounced around, examining every room and object with exuberance. Seiji stepped into the entrance hall with care, but he was not overly awed by the large and grand house Aiden called home. It was, perhaps, nicer than most at Kings Row had, but not by much. Kings Row was a wealthy school and everyone who attended, in exception of scholarship students, came from money.

“Where should we put our things?” Seiji asked before Aiden could escape out of earshot.

“Anywhere,” Aiden said breezily and then promptly disappeared. Seiji fought back a frustrated sigh. _Anywhere_ was not really an answer. Seiji didn't particularly want to drop his bag as the others had dropped theirs, in the entryway and on a couch and on the fine marble breakfast bar. But nor did he want to go galavanting around the house in search of a room he may or may not be allowed to use. So he took his cue from Harvard and set his bag neatly by the door before proceeding farther into the house.

The TV had already been turned on and everyone was sprawled on the couch, chattering too loudly to even be watching. Not that he thought any of them had particular interest in _Clifford the Big Red Dog_. Why had they put _that_ on?

There wasn't a proper spot available on the large couch unless Seiji felt like squeezing in next to Nicholas and sitting either on top of or under Eugene's legs. He did not. It was almost a relief, an excuse to avoid sitting with them all. Seiji found such pleasantries tedious.

The worst part about this excursion was the rule Harvard had set: no work. That meant Seiji had not been permitted to bring homework or the book he needed to read for English. He'd not even been allowed his fencing things. Teams. Seiji hated them. Harvard wanted them all to meld into one happy family and it drove Seiji mad. All these bonding exercises and trips. Harvard wanted them to be friends outside of the context of school and fencing, insisting that would make them stronger as a team.

Seiji didn't see the point. It made sense if you were on a lacrosse or soccer team. On a _team_ team. But they'd never be on a ’field’ together, anticipating each others’ actions and moving as one. Even in a team, fencing was an individual sport. They all took turns in bouts against each of the opposing team. They didn't need to get along or like each other. At most, a team was for moral support— _how stupid_ —and at worst, it lowered your chance of winning. 

With nothing to pull from his bag to occupy him and no desire to sit and mingle with the team, Seiji was left to wandering after all. He didn't try any rooms, sticking only to the interconnected chambers with arches and half walls partitioning them. He found a room with a beautiful grand piano. Another that had a large and elegant table, not far from which was the kitchen. And then a room that seemed to be a parlor, door flung wide open and kept in place with a brass lion door stopper. The room had fine chairs and an antique couch, the walls artfully laden with books. He thought he might stay here, see if there was anything worth reading on those shelves. And, if not, there was always his phone.

“You looking for the bathroom too?” Nicholas asked from behind him. Seiji spun, startled at his sudden appearance.

“No, I was just...”

“Snooping?” Nicholas grinned and Seiji bristled. He hadn't been _snooping._ But he was all too aware of the guilty start he'd given when Nicholas had spoken, in that instance Seiji had thought Aiden had caught him.

“Looking around,” Seiji corrected stubbornly. “There's a difference. And you took a wrong turn if you’re looking for the bathroom. It's back that way, on the left.”

“Thanks, man,” Nicholas made to leave. “Lucky for me you were snooping or I'd be waddling around here for ages.”

”It's a logical floor plan, I hardly think you'd have been looking for too long. Although, if anyone could get lost in a house, it _would_ be you.”

“Is that a reference to my first day at school? Because Eugene purposefully gave me bad instructions.”

“Actually, it was a reference to your first two weeks at school,” Seiji said off-handily, remembering all the times Nicholas had slunk into class late, or when Seiji had found him hopelessly turned around in hallways. “You got lost coming back to our room once.”

“It could happen to anyone,” Nicholas said, a pout starting to form on his face. Seiji didn't think it _could_ happen to anyone. He was pretty sure Nicholas was just directionally challenged, distractible, and unable to read a map. An inconvenient combination on a campus like Kings Row’s. But Nicholas’s pout fell away before it had even fully materialized, replaced with a slow and thoughtful grin. “You know what, I bet I _could_ get really lost in this place.”

Seiji didn't know why that thought pleased Nicholas so much, but he didn't ask. Nicholas trotted away to the bathroom and Seiji sighed, watching him disappear completely before walking back down the hall himself. He supposed he'd better go join the team. And with Nicholas absent from the couch, he'd be able to acquire a decent spot. Let Nicholas deal with Eugene's legs and finding a way to squish back into the seating arrangement when he returned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After naming this I realized something pretty funny: all my multi-chapter, Seiji POV exclusive fanfictions thus far have titles that start with the word 'In' and it was completely un(in)tentional. Like, how does that even happen???


	2. Chapter 2

By the time it fell dark, Seiji was relieved. They'd be shifting gears soon, getting ready for sleep. When he'd returned to the group hours earlier, they had been, mercifully, in the process of changing shows from _Clifford._ Mercifully, because Seiji thought he'd likely end up watching the show more than talking to the others. And his phone only held so much charge, he had to ration it.

But they'd picked _Twilight_ instead. Seiji liked high fantasy more than urban fantasy and had never gotten into the vampires and werewolves stuff. But everyone else seemed to have _strong_ opinions about the movie. Popcorn was made, curtains closed and lights dimmed, and they'd all fallen quiet—mostly—to actually pay attention to the film.

Aiden and Eugene had gotten into numerous fights over vampires versus werewolves and Edward versus Jacob. And Seiji knew so much more than he needed to about the entire teams’ alignment on both topics. Aiden liked vampires, and was 'team Edward.' Eugene liked werewolves, and was staunchly 'team Jacob.' Harvard thought both of Bella’s love interests were pretty terrible and went on multiple tirades about it. He wouldn't say if he preferred vampires or werewolves in general, try as Aiden might to get an answer out of him. And Nicholas had said that he was 'team Seth Clearwater,' who was, apparently, played by an actor Nicholas thought attractive. And on the topic of one species versus the other, he had said that he'd want to _be_ a werewolf but he'd want to _fuck_ a vampire. Seiji had not joined in the discourse at all and it had become somewhat of a game to the others to try and make him weigh in.

So the night had progressed further without any interest waning from the _Twilight_ marathon. And now, halfway through the third movie, Seiji tried to make his escape.

“It's getting late,” he said. “I think I'll turn in for the night. Aiden, where can I sleep?” And it almost worked. Aiden grumbled but paused the movie, standing and gesturing for Seiji to follow him. But Nicholas ruined it. Of course he did.

“What? You guys are just gonna go to bed? No fun?” Nicholas fired.

“What sort of fun are we talking about?” Aiden asked, pausing in his tracks. Tracks that would have taken Seiji to his own room and away from everyone else.

“We aren't doing middle school games,” Harvard said tiredly. “They always end poorly.”

“But the classics!” Eugene protested. Nicholas caught his shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

“Don't worry, I've got something way better than that in mind. Y'all ever played sardines?”

“Ooh,” Aiden said. “That _is_ fun.”

“I know,” Nicholas grinned, clearly pleased to have captivated attention all around the room.

“Sardines?” Seiji said, and all eyes turned sharply to him.

“You've never played?” Eugene asked, disbelieving.

“No.” They were all staring at him like he'd just confessed he'd never learned how to read. Was it really such common knowledge? Seiji considered being self-conscious but it wasn't his style so he fixed on a scowl and asked, “What _is_ it?”

“It's basically reverse hide and seek,” Nicholas said, as if that were any help at all in actually explaining.

“One person has to hide,” Harvard explained, “and everyone else has to look for them. But, once you find the hidden person, you hide _with_ them. It goes on until the last person finds the rest, packed into the hiding spot like sardines.”

“I see.” But what he didn't see was why this was considered fun.

“Yeah, like that. Only, I propose a twist,” Nicholas was brimming with excitement and it was impossible not to feel the slightest tugging from it.

“If it involves stripping or kissing, I’m vetoing it,” Harvard broke in before Aiden or Eugene could prompt Nicholas to elaborate.

“Fun-sucker,” Eugene muttered.

“Sucking all our fun,” Aiden agreed.

“Doesn't matter. No nakedness or lips required. Just flashlights.”

“Flashlights?” Eugene echoed.

“You want to play hide and seek in the dark?” Seiji asked Nicholas. How childish could you get?

“Not hide and seek. Sardines. And the dark makes it so much better.”

“I'm game,” Eugene offered immediately. Aiden expressed his desire to play shortly after and even Harvard grew a wicked grin at the idea.

“Have fun,” Seiji intoned. “Aiden, my room, please?”

“Not fucking likely,” Aiden howled a laugh. “I'm not showing you where you can sleep until we've played.”

“Surely four players is enough,” Seiji reasoned but everyone was shaking their heads and grumbling.

“Team bonding, newbie,” Harvard told him. Seiji glared at his captain. Hadn't he already done all that Harvard had asked of him? Wasn't this asking too much? Apparently not.

“Rules,” Aiden didn't even wait for Seiji to agree. Everyone knew he had to now that Harvard had made it _team business_. “Outdoors is off-limits, including patios, balconies, window ledges, and the roof. And before we start, give me a minute to close and open doors. Any doors that are closed have to stay closed, meaning that room is off-limits. To avoid confusion, all open doors have to stay open too.”

“Hider gets sixty seconds,” Nicholas added. “Seekers get a flashlight and that's it. Everyone have a phone with a light function?” Everyone nodded. “We'll use those, then.”

“All lights off?” Harvard clarified. “Completely?”

“Completely,” Nicholas confirmed.

“Alright, sounds fun. Come on Aiden, let's go set the house in order.” And, watching Harvard and Aiden disappear into the vast house, Seiji had no doubt that Harvard knew which doors to open and which to fix shut just as surely as Aiden did. The pair returned some time after that, and the only light left was that which hung over their heads, above the couch.

“Ready?” Aiden asked. Everyone pulled out their phones, readying the flashlight function. “Let’s play!” He flipped off the last light, plunging them into darkness before five beams cut through the room.

“Who’s it first?” Eugene asked.

“Nose goes?” Aiden suggested. In a flash, shouts of _nose goes!_ echoed through the room and four fingers were pressed firmly into noses. _What in the…?_ “Seiji's it!” Aiden declared, then threw himself onto his couch, grabbing Harvard and taking him down with him.

“Better go hide,” Nicholas told Seiji. “Sixty seconds, starting now.” He closed his eyes, and Eugene did the same. Presumably, the two on the couch did also.

“Fifty-nine,” Eugene started. “Fifty-eight…fifty-seven…”

Seiji started off through the dark house. To find a place to hide. Like an actual child playing an actual game of hide and seek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sardines in the dark is an excellent game if you've got the space and friends for it--10/10 would recommend. DONT recommend playing it in the park, though. It's fun right up until you lose your little sister and her best friend in a park at 11 pm (they were 16 at the time, don't worry, I didn't lose actual children) (just kidding, I totally recommend that too; it's a blast)


	3. Chapter 3

Seiji didn't particularly care to be good at this game. There didn't seem to be a clear-cut way of winning unless you were the first seeker to find the hider. But winning as the hider? He didn't care. This game was too convoluted to interest his competitive nature. So he found a coat closet and fit himself inside. He did, at least, silence his phone completely as he tucked it into his pocket, flashlight snuffed out for now. It wouldn't do to give himself away with a ringing or vibrating phone.

But it was a large house with a good deal of ground to cover and, as the minutes ticked by, Seiji contemplated pulling his phone out again just to have something to do—

“Aha! Found you!” And Nicholas Cox was shouldering his way into the closet next to Seiji. More than that, he was swimming through the neatly hung coats.

“What are you doing?” Seiji asked, but the crook of his elbow was grabbed and he was yanked through the coats too, Nicholas pressing a _shhhh_ so close to his ear, it tickled.

“Making your lame and uncreative hiding place better,” Nicholas whispered. Seiji bristled.

“Lame? It took you ages to find me.”

“Considering how big this place is, I found you easily.” And suddenly, Seiji knew exactly how this game could be won. By making sure Nicholas never found him so _easily_ again.

“We lost Nick!” Eugene's voice rang distantly. Nicholas held in a laugh beside Seiji. Seiji only knew because he was pressed close enough to Nicholas to feel the restrained shaking of his amusement. Seiji promptly shuffled as far away as the closet would allow. Which wasn't far enough at all.

“I swear I saw Nick around here,” Seiji heard Aiden muttering. Heard doors creaking as he peeked behind them. And then their closet door opened wide. Was pushed almost shut again. Footsteps shuffling away. And a tiny breath of laughter from Nicholas at the near escape.

“I heard that,” Aiden said, throwing the door wide again, “amateur.” And one more body joined the cramped space, door pulled close and flashlight turned off. Seiji found himself sandwiched uncomfortably between Aiden and Nicholas.

“We almost had you,” Nicholas choked out. Why did he find this so funny? Apparently, he wasn't the only one, because Aiden’s voice also quavered with laughter.

“I know! Good trick, going behind the hangers.”

“Right? You wouldn't think it would help so much, but in the dark—,”

“You miss things you usually wouldn't. Good modification, Zero.”

“You did not just fucking call me that.”

“Nicholas,” Seiji tried to warn.

“It's meant as an endearment. I only call you Zero with every ounce of love I have.”

“I'll push you out of here, dickhead.”

“Nicholas,” Seiji said again, more sharply.

“What?” Nicholas snapped.

“Volume control,” Seiji hissed. But his shouting had attracted attention. Harvard and Eugene could be heard shuffling around their general proximity. It was Harvard that found them next, squeezing into the already over-stuffed closet. Pushing Seiji farther against Nicholas, who was fighting off giggle fits again. It was honestly a relief when Eugene discovered them and they all poured out of the tiny room.

Eugene hid behind curtains in the piano room, then Aiden hid in a pile of blankets in the laundry room—it took forever to find him, and by the time Seiji had, Eugene and Harvard were already tangled in the suspiciously large swarm of blankets. And it was obvious they were there by the time Nicholas walked in. There was no mistaking it. But Nicholas pretended to anyway. Making a big deal about “where could they be?” As if he were playing with preschoolers. And then, because he was Nicholas and Nicholas was full of ’humorous ’ ideas Seiji always hated, he flung himself onto the blankets. It elicited groans of complaint from the entire group of them. Nicholas might have dragged it out longer for fun but Seiji had had enough and pushed the heavy lump off him viciously.

“Found Seiji,” Nicholas said even before tugging the blanket from Seiji's head.

“Simpleton,” Seiji accused but the idiot took no offense. He just grinned and threw the blanket back over Seiji.

“Start counting,” he told them before scampering away. When Nicholas's minute was up, Seiji was determined to find him in whatever stupid, asinine hidey-hole he'd discovered. Because the way to win this game was to find Nicholas—to be the _first_ to find Nicholas—and then make sure Nicholas was the last to find him. But Nicholas _could_ , it appeared, get pretty well ’lost’ in the house. Seiji couldn't find him, only ever bumping into the others also searching.

It was an unspoken agreement that they search separately. What would be the fun—the point, he corrected himself—if the seekers traveled in a pack? They'd all find the hider at once, which defeated the purpose of the game. Still, it was oddly eerie wandering around this dark and quiet house, huge and unfamiliar, all alone with only a flashlight. Seiji didn't scare easily, really, and this was hardly sufficient to render him spooked, but he kept thinking of those horror games some people loved. Nicholas was always watching walk-throughs of them in their room and he refused to wear headphones. So thoughts of creeping shadow people and ghosts followed him through the house, try as he might to shake them. He was too old for that nonsense.

Seiji swept through the room they'd spent most of their night in again. He'd passed through here at least ten times and he couldn't find any hint of where Nicholas had gone. His eyes fell on the large TV and he thought of the fervor and enthusiasm with which his team had watched dumb vampire flicks on it. He wasn't a fan of the movies but thinking of them now gave him the strangest sense of nostalgia, though it had only been an hour ago when they'd watched the movies. Seiji was sure he'd have liked the movies a lot less if he hadn't watched them _here_. With his ridiculous team, cramped in too close and loud on that couch—

He jumped. Just a little. Because he'd turned to look at that couch. And the couch had looked back. Nicholas's eyes gleamed bright from his hiding spot, situated on his side in the groove between cushions and the back of the couch, the back cushions piled on top of him.

_You really do miss things in the dark you usually wouldn't._

“Took you long enough,” Nicholas said, teeth shining white under Seiji's light. He quickly turned it off, looked to make sure no one else was around. He considered Nicholas's position. “Aren't you going to join me?” Nicholas asked.

“And how do you expect me to do that?” Seiji asked, eyeing the boy in the couch. “There's not…room for me.”

“Just climb on,” Nicholas told him.

“On top of you?”

“Yeah. Unless you'd prefer to be on the bottom?”

“I'll crush you.”

“Is that a prediction or a threat?” Nicholas laughed at his own joke. “I’ll be fine, but it's really sweet for you to worry about me.”

Seiji glared. But he could hear Harvard and Aiden exchange muffled words somewhere near enough to pose a threat to their position. Tentatively, Seiji climbed onto the couch. But he couldn't think how to proceed from there. So he re-evaluated, stood up, and walked around to the back, slipping into the crevice between couch and cushions from the tall back of the couch. Subsequently, he landed solidly on Nicholas who, for his part, didn't let out so much as an _oof_ from Seiji's not insubstantial weight. A couple cushions fell out of place and Seiji arranged them as best he could but it didn't fit as convincingly anymore, with him piled on top of Nicholas and the cushions balanced precariously on top of him. In fact, it was pretty precarious all around, and they fit together none too well. Nicholas’s arms had nowhere to go, and so found their way around Seiji's waist. Seiji would have fought it if it didn't make him more secure in his own perilous position.

They passed cursory inspection and casual walks through the room. Each time somebody walked by, wondering aloud where Nicholas and Seiji could be, Seiji felt Nicholas's efforts not to laugh. And each time they got away, he’d hear and feel the suppressed bouts of laughter escape in tiny gasps and snickers. And, worse than that, Nicholas's arms would clamp tighter around Seiji in those moments—moments of suspense and amusement—and it was utterly inconceivable that Seiji was here, hiding in the crack of a couch, laying on a boy he didn't care for as that boy held him tighter than any boy had ever held him before in his life. And somehow they hadn't been found out. Eventually, it started to seem a little funny to Seiji, too.

Their luck couldn’t hold under close inspection, so when Harvard got too near the couch, it was no surprise when he started laughing.

“You've got to be kidding me,” he wheezed. “How am I going to fit in there?”

“No clue,” Nicholas said, laughing a low, husky laugh, breathless either from effort to keep from making noise or from Seiji crushing the air out of him. “But we gotta try,” and one arm abandoned its hold on Seiji, reaching out to beckon their captain into the fold. Harvard settled on rolling in tightly to them on the surface of the couch, one of his arms replacing Nicholas's on Seiji to hold them all together. They didn't last long before Aiden came waltzing in.

“Harvard, I know you're in here somewhere, where—oh!” And he started laughing. Louder than Harvard or Nicholas had. Too loud. Eugene thundered into the room and he must have spotted them right off, because he hurtled onto the couch, cushions scattering as he landed squarely on Seiji. He immediately hooked a leg around Harvard, too, and spanned his arms across them all.

“You're it,” Eugene told Aiden, who was still doubled in laughter.

“No way, asshole,” Aiden gasped. “I saw them first.”

“But I _hid_ before you did. So, technically, you're the last seeker standing.”

“Not fair!” Aiden insisted.

“Sorry, Aiden, but I think he's got a point,” Harvard didn't sound sorry. He sounded amused. Aiden pouted, then climbed up into the pile. “That's not going to change anything,” Harvard laughed.

“It'll make me feel better,” Aiden said. “Even if you're all cheaters and traitors, I can't miss out on a snuggle pile.”

Seiji wanted out, especially now that Aiden had dubbed it a _snuggle pile_ instead of a dogpile. But he couldn't wriggle free. There seemed to be about ten arms and three legs tangled up around him and, despite several attempts to escape, he was trapped. He'd just have to ride this out, then. Until they dispersed. So he let himself fall—almost relax—back into the throng. He'd forgotten that he was still laying almost exclusively on Nicholas so that when he gave up, it was Nicholas's chest he fell back against. And it seemed to be an involuntary response how Nicholas's arm tightened reflexively around him when he did so.

“This is all your fault,” Seiji hissed at Nicholas, trying to turn his head around in such a way that he could see Nicholas's face so as to deliver his best sneer. Nicholas laughed.

“You're having fun,” he replied, shifting himself, and therefore the pile and Seiji, so that he could say it into Seiji's ear. And, again, it tickled to have something said so close and soft.

“I am not.” Either his words were lost in the noise of the others or Nicholas didn't think them worth a reply.


	4. Chapter 4

Seiji might have thought the dogpile would be the natural end of the game. It had not been. Aiden had eventually insisted they all close their eyes and count, leaving them huddled on the couch as he slipped away to hide. They'd cycled through several rounds since then and there was no end-point in sight. The house was so big, they could play all night and never exhaust their hiding options.

When the role of hider fell on Seiji again, he strategically chose a bathroom on the second floor that Eugene had hidden in—cramped into a cupboard under the sink that they'd spilled out of by the time Harvard had found them. Since it had already been used and the best hiding spot _was_ that cupboard, Seiji postulated that no one would think to look there for a good while. He settled in the bathtub with the curtains drawn and waited.

He could hear the others rampaging around the house. Once, he thought he might be caught when the door creaked, but it was just someone checking behind it. They left again in no time at all and Seiji couldn't fight off the smile. It was kind of funny for them to get so close but be too dumb to check in such an obvious place.

The curtains drew back and a light shone on Seiji for a second before being turned off and slid into a pocket. Seiji was pretty sure he recognized this silhouette.

“The tub? Really? Where is your creativity?” Nicholas asked, climbing in and closing the curtain tightly.

“I’d like to point out that you only just found me.”

“Yeah. But I did find you.”

“Which is unfortunate, but the game must go on and it cannot do so unless I am found eventually.” Though it got on his nerves that Nicholas had been the one to find him first. Again.

“You know you were secretly hoping for some alone time with me.”

“Why would I? I have the very great displeasure of getting alone time with you every night.”

Nicholas flashed a grin and then did the worst thing he possibly could in this situation. He sunk down into the tub, but not against the other end of the basin. No. Not Nicholas Cox. Why would he do that when he could irritate Seiji instead? Nicholas made room for himself between Seiji’s legs and leaned back against his chest, his unruly hair tickling Seiji’s nose right away.

“Why?” Seiji hissed, his head falling back against the tile in exasperation.

“Team bonding,” Nicholas said seriously. “And if I sit over there, my back will get poked by the faucet.”

“All I wanted was to go to bed,” Seiji muttered, more for himself than Nicholas.

“I know, but teams do things together.”

“I watched those awful movies with you all.”

“True. But you didn't open up, really. Now we're getting somewhere, see, because you haven't hit me. That's progress. That's the benefit of this game.”

“An erasure of boundaries?”

“Yep. And don't think I won't suss you out.”

“Excuse me?”

“About Team Edward or Team Jacob.”

“I don't believe you ever answered that question either.”

“But I gave _an_ answer. You didn't.”

“Then I'll be team ’shut up, please,’” Seiji knew that Nicholas wasn't about to shut up, no matter what he said.

“Come on, you too good for _Twilight?”_

“I don't typically like the genre it falls in.”

“Yeah?” Nicholas’s voice lilted with slight interest. “What's your poison, then?”

“Leave me alone.” But Nicholas had twisted his head up to look at Seiji, expectant. And, against all sense, that face compelled him to answer. “High fantasy. Some science fiction, too. I like seeing into other worlds.” He could have groaned for how cheesy that sounded. He was tired and his filter was suffering for it.

“Really?” Nicholas was surprised. “I thought you'd like boring things. Non-fiction. Maybe some historical fiction based on real shit.”

“I wouldn't call those boring,” Seiji scolded Nicholas. “Just because you don't like something doesn't mean it has no value.”

“Sure, it's got value. But it's boring.”

“I've enjoyed plenty of non-fiction books and you might too if you'd ever read any of our class books.”

“Doubt it. I always thought you were a pretentious reader,” Nicholas seemed to be really stuck on Seiji's reading material of choice, and it made him heat up the tiniest bit. He regretted telling Nicholas anything. “But really, you're just a geek.”

“You're hardly one to judge,” Seiji snapped. He knew Nicholas preferred comics and mangas. Nicholas laughed.

“So we're both geeks. Look at that, we found something in common.” In common? With _Nicholas_? How absurd. “Shh!” Nicholas suddenly hissed but there was no need. Seiji had heard it too. Eugene's voice found its way to their bathroom, getting louder every moment.

“I'm just saying, if there are any ghosties around here, I'm chill, y’know? Like, I'm not saying I'd be down to fuck but I'm definitely not _not_ saying that. So you should come say hi. And maybe not eat me. But I'd really like to say hello ’cause then maybe I could get the Buzzfeed Unsolved boys down here and that'd be fun…” the curtains were drawn back. “Oh, hey guys. You're not ghosts, but that's okay, I guess.”

“Were you just…asking ghosts for sex?” Seiji asked. He was in actual danger of laughing. Eugene grinned and stepped into the tub, leaving the curtains for Seiji to shut.

“Sure, wouldn't _you_ bang a ghost?” He asked, easily situating himself between Nicholas’s legs.

“I can honestly say that I would not.”

“Well, Aiden says there are ghosts here.”

“This place is haunted and he's just been letting us wander around in the dark? Alone?” Nicholas questioned.

“Yeah. Which is why I'm letting them know I'm a friend, you know?”

“You're too old to believe in ghosts,” Seiji said.

“You're too old to believe that ghosts aren't real. They are. And I think it'd be cool to be the one to prove that.”

“Through fucking?” Nick clarified.

“Yeah, man, what better way to do it?”

“Good point. But what if it's like a really nasty ghost?”

“Beggars can't be choosers. But do you want to hear about the ghost that Aiden says lives here?”

“We sure it's a ghost and not a demon or a shadow person?”

“Aiden says ghost. But this house is so big, it could fit them all.”

Seiji tried to tune them out as the ghost story started. He didn't believe in ghosts, not really. But he didn't need the fuel for later when he'd be wandering around the house alone again. The only thing he had any worries about were the imaginings of his own mind, but just because he knew he was being irrational didn't mean his heart would listen.

It was a welcome change in conversation when Aiden shimmied into the tub, which was now completely full. It wasn't built for four teenage boys sitting on one another.

“You guys are so fucking loud,” Aiden whispered. Seiji took the liberty of removing himself from the collective ’you.’ He hadn't spoken in a while and when it had been just him and Nicholas, they'd kept their voices low and soft. Nicholas and Eugene, however, were incapable of inside voices when together for longer than two minutes. “I heard you ages ago but had to ditch Harvard before coming back.”

“We're supposed to be singles, not doubles,” Nicholas said.

“Uh-huh. Yet I always find you and Seiji together. Don't talk to me about _singles.”_

“Fair enough. But Seiji and I aren't walking around holding hands.” Nicholas glanced down at something. “Not yet, anyway.” And that's when Seiji realized that he had an arm curled around Nicholas's chest, hand gripping slightly too tight to the shirt there. He let it drop at once and Eugene shifted, readjusting from the changing of position. Which meant they'd both known Seiji had been clutching to Nicholas. Accidentally, of course.

It was all the fault of those stupid ghost stories.


	5. Chapter 5

Seiji had looked everywhere. They all had. Scoured the house several times over. But Nicholas was simply nowhere to be found.

“You don't think he broke a rule, do you?” Eugene complained loudly, barreling into the study Seiji had found earlier. They'd checked in the room a dozen times already.

“I doubt it,” Seiji said. “He's a loose rocket, but this is his game. It doesn't make sense for him to break the rules.”

“Loose rocket?” Eugene asked, and Seiji narrowed his eyes at the familiarity in the way he was smirking, teasing Seiji’s choice of words. Like he thought it was _okay_ to tease Seiji. Like they were friends. That definitely wouldn't have crossed his mind as an appropriate thing to do twenty-four hours earlier.

“We must not be looking hard enough,” Seiji said, deciding the best course of action was to ignore Eugene’s newfound attempts at banter. Similar to ignoring an unfavorable behavior in a child to discourage it. “He's got a talent for hiding, it seems.” Nicholas was almost always the hider who went longest without being found.

“Woah, wish Nick was here to hear that.”

“Hear what?” Seiji asked, scanning the room, though he knew if he were to find Nicholas in here somewhere—highly unlikely as it was—he wouldn't be able to join without having Eugene follow. But they'd crossed paths and Eugene had started conversation. It seemed rude to simply walk away before it came to an end.

“Hear you complimenting him.”

“I did not _compliment_ him.”

“Yeah, you did. You said he was the best hider.” An exaggeration of Seiji's words. “Not the best compliment ever but I bet Nick would take it gladly.”

“And what is that supposed to mean?”

“I don't know,” Eugene shrugged. “Just that he cares a lot what you think of him.”

“What? Why?”

“I don't know, do I? I'm just calling the shots as I see them, man.” Eugene flattened himself against the floor to check under the chaise, then the sofa. He got up, dusting himself off. “Well, I think this room is clear.”

“Such has been the consensus the last ten times it's been searched.”

“Sure. Be seeing you, then.” Eugene turned as he came even with the doorjamb. “And if I find Nick first, I'm telling him what you said.”

“It _wasn't_ a compliment,” Seiji insisted. “A compliment would be if I said I _liked_ something about him.”

“Like what?”

“I don't know.” What would Seiji possibly like about Nicholas? “His persistence—but, no, that's actually very irritating. And his hair is too messy. And he smiles too much, it gets annoying. No, I really don't have any compliments about him. Anything passably likable is counteracted by the rest of him.”

“Dude,” Eugene stood in the doorway and, even with nothing but their flashlights, Seiji could see Eugene's wide eyes. His shocked expression. “I think you just said you liked all that about him.”

“What are you talking about? I very clearly just said I _didn't_ like those things.”

“Not liking and being annoyed by them are two different things, my dude. I so gotta find Nick now. He's gonna lose his shit when I tell him about this.”

“There's nothing to tell!” Seiji called after Eugene, who was already barreling down the hall and away. Off to find Nicholas. Heat crept up Seiji's neck and found its way higher and higher. There was _no way_ Seiji liked anything about Nicholas. But Eugene was going to twist his words in his report to Nicholas and Seiji would have to endure endless pestering about it.

“Nick, where are you, you sneaky bastard?” Eugene hollered from somewhere else in the house but his voice carried through walls easily. A moment later, Seiji's phone lit up with a notification.

🤺⚔️ Stabby Stabby Squad ⚔️🤺  
  
**Today,** 1:47 AM  
Nicholas Cox  
**Nicholas Cox:** I’m so sneaky.  
  
  
  


Had he heard Eugene, then? It could be a hint but Eugene's voice carried far. Seiji considered joining the search again but his face wasn't yet recovered from the blush. So he sat on the chaise and tried to push all the color from his cheeks. Except, he kept thinking of Nicholas, squeezed up against him repeatedly throughout the night. And how his stupid hair tickled Seiji's nose. And how his stupid arms had moved as if on their own accord to tighten around him in the dogpile. And his cheeks, infuriatingly, would not lose their color.

Another text popped up.

🤺⚔️ Stabby Stabby Squad ⚔️🤺  
  
**Today,** 1:47 AM  
Nicholas Cox  
**Nicholas Cox:** I’m so sneaky.  
  
Nicholas Cox  
**Nicholas Cox:** sneaky sneaky  
  
  
  


He was just taunting them now. Seiji sighed, standing. He'd better get back to the hunt if he wanted to delay Eugene from making Seiji’s Nicholas related problems worse. Red-faced or not, it hardly mattered. People missed things in the dark that they might otherwise see clearly.

Another text came in.

Nicholas Cox  
  
**Today,** 1:59 AM  
**Nicholas Cox:** You like my persistence, don’t deny it. You find it charming.  
  
  
  


And that certainly drained the color from Seiji's face. He checked the text again. It was from Nicholas, obviously. But it was, mercifully, in a private log, sent to him alone rather than to all the current members of the Kings Row fencing team. Had Eugene found Nicholas already?

Nicholas Cox  
  
**Today,** 1:59 AM  
**Nicholas Cox:** You like my persistence, don’t deny it. You find it charming.  
**Nicholas Cox:** No response? It gets so lonely being so good at hiding when you can’t find me ;(  
  
  
  
  


It had to be that Eugene had found him. And recited their conversation with an inaccurate slant to it. Seiji gritted his teeth. When he found them, he'd strangle them both. It was two in the morning and he was too tired for their shenanigans. He'd insist on bed after this round. He'd absolutely insist on it. And if Harvard wanted to scold him for it, so be it. He'd indulged all of his captain’s outrageous requests tonight. He deserved to be done.

Nicholas Cox  
  
**Today,** 1:59 AM  
**Nicholas Cox:** You like my persistence, don’t deny it. You find it charming.  
  
**Nicholas Cox:** No response? It gets so lonely being so good at hiding when you can’t find me ;(  
  
**Nicholas Cox:** I’m really flattered you think I have a nice smile  
  
  
  


“I never said that,” Seiji growled at his phone. But he refused to respond to the text. It wasn't his fault that Nicholas’s smile could be felt in every muscle of his body, like joy on the verge of spilling out into laughter. Wasn't his fault that he'd felt _a lot_ of that smile and the restraint of its spilling laughter that night, cramped into small spaces with Nicholas. That's why his smile had been on Seiji's mind. And his awful hair, tickling at Seiji's cheeks and nose constantly all night long. Of course they'd be the first things Seiji thought of. But he'd said he _didn't_ like them.

Nicholas Cox  
  
**Today,** 1:59 AM  
**Nicholas Cox:** You like my persistence, don’t deny it. You find it charming.  
  
**Nicholas Cox:** No response? It gets so lonely being so good at hiding when you can’t find me ;(  
  
**Nicholas Cox:** I’m really flattered you think I have a nice smile  
  
**Nicholas Cox:** Seijiiiiiiii   
  
  
  


This was exactly what Seiji had known would happen. He stalked over to the door and, on a childish whim, slammed it shut, imagining it shutting on Eugene's wide eyes or Nicholas’s terrible smile.

“Whoever just closed a door, you'd better fucking open it!” Aiden’s voice permeated the room, echoing through the house. But Seiji wasn't concerned with that. Because he was staring at Nicholas, tucked into a nook behind a shelf that was too close to the door. When the door swung open, it caught on the shelf instead of hitting the wall, but since the shelves spanned the entire wall, the door appeared to be flat even with them. Providing Nicholas with a perfect hiding nook. Except, if Seiji had been paying attention, he'd have noticed that the door stopper was missing from its previous spot. Perhaps if it had been light, or if Seiji had been less tired…

“You'd better open the door,” Nicholas said, voice heavy with laughter. Seiji took another moment to process his surprise at finding Nicholas here. Then he took ahold of the doorknob and pulled it open, up against the shelf again. But this time, he was behind it, crowded into the sliver of space with Nicholas. He knew it was asking too much to expect Nicholas to let them stand in silence. “I'm glad you found me,” Nicholas said, so quiet that Seiji had to strain to hear him. “I wanted to thank you for the compliments.”

“They weren't—,” but Seiji’s eyes had adjusted to the dark well enough to see the pure delight and amusement dancing across Nicholas’s face. This wasn't an argument he could win. Not in Nicholas’s eyes, anyway. “Just leave it.”

“Why? You don't want to talk about how—?”

“I'm officially banning the topic.”

“Banning it? What are you gonna do if I ignore your _ban?”_

“I'll go get everyone else and tell them where you are.”

“You wouldn't.”

“It's a banned topic.”

“Fine.” And, though Nicholas still seemed far too smug, he did stop talking. Seiji wondered how long it would last. Hoped that it would last about as long as it took for them to be found by someone else. Of course, it lasted only a minute. “So, fantasy, huh? Then you're an elf fucker?”

“I'm a what?”

“You wouldn't say about vampires and werewolves earlier. I've figured out why; you're more into elves.”

“I am not,” Seiji snapped, unsure why he even cared what Nicholas thought on this matter

“No?”

“No.”

“Why not? I thought I'd cracked the code.”

It was late and Seiji was tired and Nicholas was so close and the dark was pressing in on them like a physical thing. And for some reason, all these things combined to prompt Seiji into giving an answer. “Just because I like high fantasy doesn't mean I've got a—a _thing_ for elves. And, in fact, plenty of fantasy doesn't even have elves. Besides, they're too—,” Seiji cut off. He'd been about to say _flouncy for my tastes._ But it struck him just before he said it that _flouncy_ wasn't a word he particularly wanted to say out loud. Nicholas grinned.

“I see,” he said. Seiji shifted, suddenly self-conscious despite himself. “More into the manly type, is that it?” _Was_ that it? Seiji wasn't really sure what his type was but he didn't want to admit that to Nicholas so he stayed silent. Nicholas laughed—hurried and quiet, so as not to give away their position—taking this as confirmation. “You're pretty much the opposite of me.”

“I thought that was obvious far before this conversation.”

“Well, yeah. But no. I mean about—see, I said I'd want to be a werewolf but fuck a vampire, didn't I? And you're the opposite. You'd be a vampire but you'd rather fuck a werewolf.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, werewolves are pretty hecking manly.”

“Are you calling yourself manly?” Seiji asked, meaning it to embarrass Nicholas. But he only shrugged up one shoulder.

“In a way. Like rugged and rough around the edges. A little uncivilized.”

“Is that what makes a person manly? Poor manners? If so, I suppose you're right. That certainly does suit you.”

“There's different types of manliness. But you'd know more about that than me.”

“Why?”

“Because that's what _you're_ into. Didn't we just go over this?”

“I don't believe I ever gave any actual input.”

“Sure, okay. But I'm right, you'd totally bang a werewolf. So the question is where your loyalties lie. Where _you_ lie or with your kind?”

“And why am I a vampire, again?” Seiji should really shut down the conversation. Disengage. But he was curious how Nicholas had come to the conclusion that he'd be a vampire. Not that it mattered at all. Stupidity really must be contagious because he was catching it.

“C’mon, you're a total vampire.”

“Oh? And what are vampires, if werewolves are rugged, ill-mannered, and manly?”

“Sexy,” Nicholas said without even pausing to think about it. And he said it so earnestly, so seriously, that Seiji laughed. “Are you laughing?” Nicholas asked, sounding awed.

“Yes,” Seiji struggled to collect enough breath to say even that much.

“Why?”

“Because it's incredibly funny to me,” Seiji explained, mostly regaining his composure, “that _you're_ implying _I'm_ sexy.”

“Why?” Nicholas asked like he really didn't understand. And it set Seiji off again. He felt himself start to shake with the effort of trying to stop. He wasn't aware exactly of what Nicholas was doing, but when his eyes fell on his face—illuminated only by the moonlight filtering through the tall windows that had to find its way through the door to get to them—he saw that Nicholas wore a goofy smile that was as amused as it was confused.

“Stop,” Seiji gasped. “Stop acting like you don't get why it's funny.” But Nicholas shook his head at Seiji, like he was the one acting absurd.

“It’s a shame, but you’re gonna have to be quiet or you’ll give us away.”

“A shame?”

“Yeah, your laugh is rare as hell. I don’t know that I’ve ever heard it before.”

“That can’t be right,” Seiji said, pausing his laughter to frown a little as he tried to think of a time before this that Nicholas might have heard him laugh. He came up blank. “I laugh,” he persisted anyway.

Nicholas gave a low snort and Seiji supposed that was fair. “You don’t laugh like _this,_ though. I like it. But you have to shut up anyway because they’ll find us if you don’t.”

Seiji collected himself and held his laughter in. He could hear the others thundering around, calling to each other that they'd heard something _just around here_. And they were closer than they had been before. It was absolutely imperative now that Seiji stay silent.

But…

A small snicker escaped. It was harder than he'd been prepared for to keep silent. The need for quiet made it all even funnier and he felt like he'd burst with it. The more he tried to hold in the laughter, the more it would bubble out without permission. And Nicholas’s expression didn't help. It went from bemused to exasperated, which was _hilarious_ because, finally, Nicholas understood how Seiji felt almost every moment they spent together.

“Seiji, seriously, cut it out,” Nicholas scowled. “It's not that funny.”

“It's the funniest thing you've ever said.”

“Now, that's just rude. I'm a fucking riot and to accuse that of being the funniest thing I've ever said when it's not even funny is just mean and wrong.”

“You don't understand,” Seiji said, shaking his head. “It's not something you say to people. That you think they're sexy, even indirectly. And it's especially not something _you_ say to _me._ ”

“And why not?” It was almost a snap.

“Because. You don't.”

“Don't what?”

“Find me attractive at all or think of me in those terms.”

“I don't?”

“No. You don't like me. You don't tell people you don't like that sort of thing. It's ridiculous to even contemplate.”

“No it’s not. Just because you're a blind and unfeeling monster doesn't mean I am.”

“Another difference between werewolves and vampires?” Seiji asked and Nicholas blinked at him. Then his scowl fell away and a loud laugh escaped him, surprising them both. And then it was impossible for either of them to hold in their laughter.

“We'll be found,” Nicholas said, but he didn't sound upset.

“I know,” Seiji answered but he wasn't upset either.

“I'm not wrong, you know.”

“What?”

“You _are_ sexy.”

 _That_ sobered Seiji up. It had seemed such a foolish idea as to be laughable—he _had_ laughed about it. A lot. But Nicholas staring him in the eye, earnest but for the leftover grin on his face? It wasn't funny at all.

“I—,”

The door was yanked so suddenly away from them that Seiji almost yelled in alarm. Thankfully, he didn't. But it was a close thing.

“You guys are so fucking dumb,” Aiden said, slipping into the nook with them, though the door had to be held in place so as not to expose them. “You could have hidden here for ages but you couldn't keep it in your pants.”

Seiji glared at Aiden. He may not have been an expert in sex, but he was pretty sure it didn't involve quite so much laughter. Aiden just liked to say things he thought would annoy Seiji. And it always worked.

“Man, how did you not find me right away? You live here, shouldn’t you know about this little corner?”

“The door’s always open,” Aiden shrugged. “And it's not like I have every corner of my house memorized. Especially not the corners I don't bother with most the time.” Then he squinted hard at Seiji, his eyes obviously trying to adjust to the dark. “Hey, what's got you all red?” He asked, and Seiji regretted agreeing to any and everything that had led up to this moment. Especially when Nicholas craned his neck around Aiden, now standing between them, to examine Seiji's face too. He'd have turned away but it would be just as damning as letting the blush be seen.

“Woah,” was the eloquent response Nicholas came up with. Typical.

“Wait. You guys weren't _actually_ getting it on, were you?”

“No,” Seiji snapped. Too fast.

“I'll be damned. How'd you pull that, Nick? Seiji hated you a couple hours ago.”

”Butt out, Aiden,” Nicholas groused. “We were just talking.”

Seiji deeply appreciated the backup from Nicholas but he realized as Aiden’s eyebrows shot up that Nicholas’s usual course of action—making a joke and doing whatever he could to annoy Seiji most—would have been a better deterrent for Aiden's imagination.

As they waited, fully silent now, to be found, Seiji kept catching Nicholas glancing at him. Every time Seiji caught a glimpse of brown eyes, he made sure to offer a particularly unimpressed look. Yes, he was a little red. But that was to be expected. Nicholas had admitted to finding him—

Seiji had never in his life been told by anyone, least of all someone who claimed to hate him—

It was a surprise—

Wouldn't it be more strange if he _weren't_ blushing over being called sexy?

Especially by Nicholas?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> does it show that I like to think Seiji runs out of decorum and a filter when he's sleepy?


	6. Chapter 6

Seiji was bone tired. It was late beyond all reason and he wanted to go to bed. But he'd been unable to assert his desire for sleep. Maybe it had to do with Harvard, telling him to hang in for a couple more rounds. Maybe it was Eugene’s loud booing when Seiji had asked how much longer he was obligated to play. Maybe it was Aiden’s smirk, calling him a baby for wanting to sleep. Or maybe it was Nicholas's hopeful smile and urgings of _c’mon, please?_ Whatever the reason, Seiji wasn't happy for it. Since when did he care what any of them—except his captain, of course—thought or asked of him?

Since now, apparently.

So he persisted through the game but found his focus fading. It wasn't a surprise when he was the last to find Eugene’s hiding spot and was sent away to start the whole process again.

He crept into an open bedroom and seriously considered climbing into the bed and just sleeping. But instead, he tucked _under_ the bed and crowded to the wall it was up against. There was a dust skirt, a frilly thing of pristine white. He threaded the useless end through the slates of the bed frame a little in front of him, creating the illusion of the wall, just a little too close to the open side of the bed. But a lot could be missed in the dark, after all.

And it was. Dark. Very dark. And quiet.

* * *

“Holy fuck, there you are!”

Seiji blinked awake. Nicholas's face was an inch away from his, looking a combination of worried, relieved, and annoyed.

“What are you doing?” Seiji asked, all too aware of the sleep heavy in his voice. Everything was muggy and all he knew was that Nicholas was too close for comfort.

“We've been searching for almost two hours, Seiji. Jesus Christ.” And Nicholas pulled out his phone. Frowning, Seiji flipped his and saw that he had 12 missed calls and 107 unread texts, all from someone on the team. As he watched, the 108th message chimed in.

  
Nicholas Cox  
**Nicholas Cox:** found him! Alert’s over, go to bed  
  
  
  


Seiji glanced up from his phone, not bothering to read any of his texts. He knew now what they all must be. He'd fallen asleep. And he'd hidden too well.

“I think I won,” Seiji said. “Don't you?”

“If disappearing for two hours and ending the game in a manhunt counts as winning in your book, then yeah. I guess you did.”

“The point of the game is to disappear,” Seiji pointed out.

“Right. But like you said earlier, the game only works if you're found,” Nicholas countered.

“But I was. _You_ found me.” Nicholas kept finding him.

“Yeah. I did. But we were worried after the first hour. Aiden thought you'd fallen to your death trying to get onto the roof or something.”

“ _I_ wouldn't be the moron to try that. That idiotic risk-taking falls on you and Eugene.”

“Speaking of Eugene, he was sure the ghost had nabbed you.”

“Don't,” Seiji groaned. “I'm too tired to be fortified in my knowledge that ghosts don't exist.”

“So you admit you believe in them?”

“Only when it's dark and I'm alone and too exhausted to think straight.”

“So all night, then?”

“Just stop it.”

“No wonder you were clinging to me earlier.”

“I have no idea what you're talking about.”

“Sure you don't.”

“And what about you?” Seiji asked, “Why would you be worried about me?”

“I told you. We're friends. Friends care about friends.”

“There was no need to worry,” Seiji hurried to say, all at once a little warm around the collar. “The logical conclusion to make was that I’d fallen asleep somewhere.”

“Yeah, that’s what the rest of the guys said too. But I know you like they don’t. You’re a finicky sleeper. I got worried because all our shouting wasn’t waking you up.”

“I'm only a light sleeper when I have the luxury to be one,” Seiji was unable to stifle a yawn. “I _can_ sleep anywhere if I have to. I just don't like to.” The fencing circuit and associated training had often required odd hours of sleep in even odder places.

“That's kind of endearing,” Nicholas said. Seiji finally noticed that he'd slipped entirely under the bed too. Why not climb out and assume Seiji would follow? They weren't playing anymore, were they?

“Everyone else went to bed?” Seiji asked, to be sure. Nicholas nodded.

“Pretty much. They all said you'd turn up eventually.”

“But you weren't willing to risk it?” Seiji asked mockingly. The idea was ridiculous. Nicholas just liked to beat him, whenever, wherever, and however he could.

“I guess not,” Nicholas grinned back, bright and surprisingly sincere.

“Stop smiling,” Seiji said and was immediately mortified that it had slipped out. Nicholas grinned wider.

“Why? Don't you like my smile? And, what was it? My _persistence?”_

“Compliments are still off-limits,” Seiji scolded and got a laugh.

“Fine, then.” Nicholas paused but for only a moment. “I like _your_ smile.”

Seiji flamed red. And it was painfully obvious in the light from Nicholas's phone, still lit up, though on a dim setting.

“That's still technically in the territory of compliments,” Seiji said.

“You let me call you sexy earlier and that didn't count under the ban.”

“Only because I didn't think there was any possible way you _meant_ it.”

“But I did.” Had Nicholas edged closer or was it his imagination? He, like Aiden, enjoyed trying to rile Seiji. So Seiji decided to rile him back. A slow and lazy smile spread across his face and he looked to Nicholas, laying on his side and staring at him.

“Eugene says you care what I think of you.”

“I do.”

“And you were worried about me.”

“I was.”

“And you said you liked my smile, and earlier my laugh, too.”

“I did.”

“And you weren't joking when you implied that I was sexy.”

“I wasn't.”

“Is there anything else you want to tell me?” And it was a joke. Obviously, it was a joke. But Nicholas regarded him carefully. So carefully, it made his heart beat faster and his face burn. So carefully that he was suddenly aware of just how close they were. How small this space was.

“Yeah, actually, I think I do.” And then, every bit as carefully as Nicholas had watched him, he leaned in and pressed their lips together. It was a confession. But it was a question too. And it was over in less than a second.

“Oh.” It was a stupid thing to say but it was all that came to Seiji’s mind. “I hadn't realized…” How had he not realized? How could it have possibly escaped his notice for so long?

“Sorry,” Nicholas said, seeming at once unapologetic and sheepish. “I mean, obviously, you didn't know. But I…kinda like you. More than kinda like you.”

Seiji tried to shake his head, though it didn't work particularly well when crammed up against a wall, laying on your side under a bed. There wasn't sufficient space for it.

Slow and without intending to, Seiji brought a hand to brush against his lips. Already it seemed impossible that Nicholas’s lips had ever touched them. But they had. And so much had suddenly made sense.

“I hadn't realized that I don't actually dislike you,” Seiji finished his thought, slow and deliberate. And he reached for Nicholas, stopping only millimeters away. “Not until just now.”

“Oh,” Nicholas breathed, and it was a dumb thing to say. But it didn't matter.

Seiji pressed in closer until their lips touched again and this time he was able to fully appreciate the jolt that went through him, and the way it shifted everything between them into something else. Something he hadn't expected. Something he didn't want to stop. Nicholas must have felt the same way because his arms were looping around Seiji as they had already done tonight more than Seiji had ever thought they could. And the hold Nicholas took of him was soft but strong. _The way he might hold an épée,_ Seiji’s mind supplied idly. But then Nicholas swept his tongue across Seiji’s lower lip and his mind stopped supplying much of anything. Anything other than the need to be closer to Nicholas.

How had he never noticed how bad he wanted this? All tonight, the excruciating closeness had been terrible but he'd attributed it to an intense dislike of the boy rather than of the space still remaining between them. Nicholas’s first kiss might have been a tentative and testing thing but he was far from shy now. Hands ran up and down Seiji’s body, exploring and feeling and readjusting and needy. How long had Nicholas wanted to do this? Seiji couldn't imagine it had been for long; he was sure Nicholas _had_ detested him, at the start. He didn't know when that could have changed.

Nicholas’s fingers were back in his hair, his thumb stroking a spot under Seiji's ear. And who knew that such a spot could be so sensitive? Could feel so good with the ghost of a touch? Who knew that this could _all_ feel so good? So right? All he could think was _so this is how it was meant to be_. Like it was bound to happen, even from those first minutes at regionals. The thought made him shiver slightly.

“Aren't you tired?” Nicholas pulled away to ask, thumb now running circles against Seiji's cheek. “My game already kept you up way past your bedtime.”

“I'm too tired to be thinking straight,” Seiji whispered, fitting his hand to the back of Nicholas's neck and yanking him in close again. Nicholas gave a startled mix of an exclamatory shout and a laugh, but it was swallowed quickly. Nicholas didn't question further than that, perfectly eager to continue with this alternative to sleep.

Through his eyelids, Seiji noticed the sudden arrival of full dark. Nicholas must have turned off his phone. Or perhaps it had simply died. Seiji couldn't remember Nicholas’s hands ever leaving him. It didn't matter, really, either way. The dark didn't change this tangle of tongues and bodies.

But it was a strange thing, Seiji thought as Nicholas caught a handful of hair to tug at gently. Darkness. You could miss a lot in it that you’d never overlook in the light. But, sometimes, you saw things you never would have noticed otherwise when in the dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sometimes the urge to write dumb shit hits and it hits hard. Thanks for reading! As ever, I love you all to bits 💜


End file.
